USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Dedham > History of Dedham, Massachusetts > Part 24
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* In 1827 Dedham had woolen factories; two cotton factories; four sawmills ; two paper mills; two grist mills ; five factories for making chaises and carriages ; an establishment for making machinery; and Warren's factory for making ploughs ; five taverns ; eleven retail stores ; two apothecaries; one printing press ; one bank ; one mutual fire insurance company. (Worthington's History of Dedhanı.)
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privileges now being owned by Mr. Bussey, he erected woolen mills on both privileges and the manufacture of woolen goods has ever since been carried on at these privileges. Mr. Bussey erected a machine shop, dye house, press shop, four dwelling houses and the upper and the lower boarding houses. In 1824 George H. Kuhn became agent and treasurer of the Dedham Woolen Mills with Thomas Barrows as Superintendent. Mr. Barrows continued in the capacity of superintendant until the business was sold in 1843. The wonderful prosperity of the enterprise was largely due to Mr. Barrows' energy, industry and perseverance. In 1833, Mr. Bussey and Mr. Kuhn formed a co-partnership which continued until Mr. Bussey's death in 1842.
In 1843 the real estate, machinery, stock on hand, and other material was sold to John Wiley Edmands for $75,720.62. In 1828 the board of a man in the boarding house was $1.50 a week; the board of girls $1.15. In 1828 the wages per day of the best men in the machine shop was $1.20, that of boys 30 cents. In 1839 came the general depression through the country. August 2, 1837 the last loom stopped in the Dedham Woolen Mill. In 1853 the property was incorporated by Edmands & Colby as the Maverick Woolen Company with Thomas Barrows as agent. Under Mr. Barrows' management the business flourished and was later sold to good advantage to the Merchants Woolen Company, in- corporated in 1863. John Golding, who was early associated with Benjamin Bussey, through his inventive genius, enabled his em- ployer to manufacture woolen goods much cheaper than his com- petitors. In 1833 Mr. Golding hired what has always been known as the upper mill. Here he put in and ran the first broad looms driven by power in the world .* Later Mr. Golding built at Cart Bridge, a shop for making woolen machinery; a mill for making flannels, and the necessary accompaniment, a boarding house. In his machine shop, by an arrangement of pipes in the boiler of his steam engine, he made a great saving in fuel and demonstrated that steam power produced by a peat fire (which he used), was cheaper than water power. Mr. Golding also invented a loom to weave carpets by steam or water power, a way previously un- known. The buildings at Cart Bridge were all destroyed by fire in
* Mrs. Isadora B. Whitmore, Dedham Historical Register, Vol. VIII, P. 76.
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1845 but were rebuilt by the Ashcroft Calico Printing Works which were later burned. Mr. Golding's most famous invention was a carding machine, invented in conjunction with Calvin Whit- ing and Edward Winslow, by which the roping could be made into yarn, right from the cord.
In 1823 Frederick A. Taft formed a partnership with George Bird for the manufacture of cotton goods .* The factory was fur- nished with machinery from the Norfolk Cotton Factory and the same year was incorporated as the Norfolk Manufacturing Com- pany. Mr. Bird was, by knowledge and experience, a paper manu- facturer and soon leased the property to the Norfolk Manufac- turing Company. Mr. Taft was an experienced and skillful manu- facturer of cotton goods and was the first successful cotton manu- facturer in Dedham. He demonstrated what could be done with improved machinery and intelligent supervision of the business and in 1830 the corporation bought the whole property of Mr. Bird. In 1832 James Read and Ezra W. Taft became the prin- ciple owners of the business. In 1835 a new stone mill was erected by the corporation and new machinery was installed. Ezra W. Taft continued to be the agent of the company for some thirty years and under his management the affairs of the corporation prospered. In 1863 the company sold the mill and privilege to Thomas Barrows who enlarged the mill and equipped it with ma- chinery for the manufacture of woolen goods which business he continued until 1872 when he sold the property to the Merchants Woolen Company who conveyed the same to R. C. Stores & Co. In 1882 the property was again purchased by the Merchants Woolen Company. Through their purchase of Thomas Barrows this company became the owners of the third privilege also the privilege of the old mill and grist mill so that it then owned the first four privileges on Mother Brook. In 1814 the Dedham Manu- facturing Company was incorporated and built a fifth dam, and erected a cotton mill at what is now Readville. The fourth privi-
* The working day in cotton mills, In winter, began at the very earliest day light and ended at 7:30 In the evening; a day at least of twelve hours. six days In the week. Besides training days there were only two holidays In the year, the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving. When a considerable number of Catholics among the employees refused to work on Christmas day, the mill was still kept running and the Protestants set to work to clean privys and do the dirty work of the establishment, they too soon refused to work on Christmas day and about 1860 it became a holiday in Dedham mills.
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lege first used by Nathaniel Whiting and James Draper had re- verted to the town and in 1789 it was transferred to Joseph Whit- ing and others. When in 1787 a mint was established by the Massachusetts Legislature and the mint master ordered the coin- ing of cents and half cents, a building was erected for making copper cents, a business which continued in operation only a short time. Later the building was fitted up by Herman Mann, for the manufacture of paper. In 1804 George Draper purchased the property and engaged in the manufacture of paper. About the same time another mill was erected for the manufacture of wire of which Ruggles Whiting of Dover and Boston was the agent. These mills were near together and were operated by the same power. Mr. Bird's paper mill was burned in. 1809 and rebuilt with a new raceway. In 1814 the manufacture of wire was dis- continued and the factory used for making nails. In 1819 Mr. Bird became the owner of the entire fourth privilege with land and buildings.
Pitt Butterfield was a leather dresser. He washed and dressed his pelts in Dwight's Brook at a point where the stream runs un- der High Street. Further down the stream Guild's tannery was later located. A tannery for the manufacture of sheepskins was located on Charles River near the new Vine Rock Bridge. The business was finally given up as it was found to contaminate the Brookline Water Supply.
The manufacturing plant of the Boston Lightning Rod Com- pany, is located on East Street in Dedham, under the management of George C. Willard. The company was originally established in Hyde Park but moved to Dedham in 1912. For twenty years the company acted as distributors for the North American Lightning Rod Company of Philadelphia, after which they began to manu- facture their own rods and equipment with the result that they are today the only manufacturers of lightning rods in New Eng- land.
William Ivers of Dedham was the original manufacturer of the Ivers & Pond piano of today which is still a leader in the market. Mr. Ivers was for many years a valued worker on the Chickering piano. After twenty-three years of service with the Chickering Company he decided to engage in the manufacture of
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pianos himself. His first piano was built in the attic of his house at the corner of Highland and Lowder Streets, but he soon trans- ferred his business to Klem's Block which stood at the head of Eastern Avenue. The business continued to grow and later Mr. Ivers acquired the Sheriff Brush Factory located on Wigwam Brook near the old railroad station. In 1873 he again moved and erected at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Bryant Street, the building now known as the Dedham Hotel. In 1880 the business was reorganized and Handel Pond, who had had a varied experi- ence in the manufacture of pianos was admitted to the firm. Two years later the business was transferred to Cambridge and thus another industry was lost to the town.
While home weaving had disappeared from Dedham homes, yet it is recalled, about 1850, that Mrs. Hanah De Wolfe, of School Street had a heavily timbered loom on which she wove hair cloth gimp trimmings for hair cloth sofas and chairs.
There was a building on Washington Street just below School Street, where the red painted coffins used seventy-five years ago were made and stored by Joel Richards, the town sexton. Com- fort Weatherbee & Son were the first undertakers in the town. Previously, town or church sextons had charge of funerals. The younger Mr. Weatherbee constructed a clock arrangement which automatically tolled the church bell while the funeral procession moved to the cemetery. Weatherbee & Son were succeeded by Nathaniel Smith, who later organized the firm of Smith & Higgins, (Woodman C. Hill), who with Joseph W. Wilson and Hugh J. Cannon, are now the funeral directors of Dedham. Funeral* ex- penses were not heavy. Receipted bills for the burial of well- known residents, from 1837 to 1845, including coffin, attending the service and three tollings of the meeting-house bell did not exceed $11.50. It was a custom for many years to toll the meet- ing-house bell in connection with all funerals. The bell was tolled one hour before the service, then at the hour announced and again at the close when the procession left the house. In those days in the central village the only carriage used at funerals was the hearse, behind which the mourners and friends, two by two,
* Clarke's Memorlals of Dedham.
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mournfully wended their silent way to the old cemetery while the bell at long intervals gave forth its solemn tolls.
Joel Richards, an enterprising business man, had a factory on Washington Street opposite Bryant Street. In the basement of his factory he carried on the manufacture of iron axle-trees and their fittings which required heavy lathes and a blacksmith forge. On the next floor was the machinery for sawing, cutting and plan- ing wood stock, as well as turning large posts and pillars. The second floor was devoted to the manufacture of bobbins which supplied many wool and cotton mills in New England. He was the first manufacturer in Dedham to introduce steam power. The building was later converted into a tenement house and called the "Crystal Palace."
Clarke & Holmes engaged as millwrights in the manufacture of water wheels on Federal Hill. Their buildings were located just south of the residence of Anson H. Smith. The machinery was operated by horse power, the horse walking around in a large cir- cle, with a horizontal geared wheel over head, having the same diameter as the circle, the harness being directly under the rim of the wheel, giving a good leverage for the power gained. There was a whip automatic arrangement made of a wooden spring which acted as a slapper to keep the horse in motion. Before the general introduction of steam engines, Clarke & Holmes, set up much machinery in the larger mills in New England and the Prov- inces. The water wheel then used was generally of the over shot class, the larger wheels measuring twenty-five feet in diameter and fifty feet in length. Mr. Clarke died in 1846 and the business was continued for five years under the firm name of Holmes and Dunbar.
O. Gillette had a cigar shop* on Court Street near School Street. The tobacco leaves, in preparation for cigar making, were cut by a machine in the basement of Joel Richard's factory on Washington Street.
John Gould, the "Village Blacksmith," had a shop on School Street nearly opposite to the School House; the ringing of whose anvil was heard during the study hours of the school on the op- posite side of the street.
* The building was later purchased by the Town, placed on the School grounds and made the primary department of the School Street School.
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Orrin W. Fiske manufactured playing cards in the old Silk factory near the railway station. Had the business continued there would have been a good demand for the product today. In- ternal revenue taxes were paid in the United States, in 1934 upon 45,351,707 packs of playing cards.
Sylvestor W. Talbot made watches and clocks on Washington Street opposite Bryant's grocery store. He had a very high repu- tation as an expert in his profession. There was a large clock dial on the front of his building, which, with the clock, was pre- sented to the Ames School in 1859. Here, after Mr. Talbot's death, Sophia and Henrietta Guild had a millinery store.
Jesse Warren had a plow factory where he manufactured on a large scale, an improved plow which superseded the wooden plow of an earlier period.
With the opening of the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike the building of coaches, chaises, and other carriages sprung up and at one time there were five establishments of this kind in Dedham. The business flourished until after the building of the Boston and Providence Railroad in 1834. One shop where coaches were built, called the "Mechanics Building," was located in the rear of the Phoenix Hotel and employed a goodly number of workmen* in the different departments. Here in coaching days some of the finest coaches in the country were built. On the corner of Village Avenue, and Court Street, extending almost through to Bullard Street, was the carriage factory of Elias McIntosh with a harness department. In this building was also located a paint shop, wheelwright's shop, and in the basement, a blacksmith's shop.
Through the years other manufacturing interests sprang up including the New England Silk factory operated by Jonathan H. Cobb who established it. He was deeply interested in the possi- bilities of silk raising in this section of Massachuetts. Mr. Cobb wrote a book on the subject at the time of the great mulberry tree excitement. In 1836 the Legislature enacted a law for the encouragement of the cultivation of silk, giving a bounty of one dollar on every pound of silk raised from cocoons. Some farmers
* House carpenters worked from "sun to sun". When in 1825 the Boston car- penters made their first great effort for a ten-hour day, their employers "learned with surprise and regret their purpose of altering the hours of labor from what has been customary from time immemorial. A ten-hour day would be frought with numerous and pernicious ends."
It was not until 1883 that a ten-hour day was established in Massachusetts.
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in the vicinity planted white mulberry trees, on the leaves of which the silk worm fed; and their cocoons furnished the raw silk used in manufacturing. In 1837 the value of silk goods manu- factured in Dedham was $10,000. C. D. Brooks engaged in the manufacturing of chocolate in the Silk Factory which burned May 26, 1888 with a loss, above the insurance, of $50,000. He continued the business for a time in his confectionery factory on Eastern Avenue.
S. C. & E. Mann engaged in the manufacture of marbles and fancy colored paper on High Street next to Dr. Thayer's resi- dence.
Nathaniel Clapp built a factory for the manufacture of cot- ton batting, just at the edge of the swamp on the east side of Court Street. He was succeeded by his son Frederick W. Clapp who later organized the firm of "Clapp & Trott," who, after a few years, discontinued the business.
DEDHAM POTTERY. Dedham Pottery was formerly known as "Chelsea Pottery" and derived its name from the founding of the Pottery in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
Alexander W. Robertson, one of a family of Scotch potters, came to America about 1850. He was soon joined by his brother, Hugh C. Robertson, and in 1872, by his father, James Robertson. Through their united efforts the business was evolved. After thirty years of trials, difficulties, and triumphs the pottery was set up in Dedham in 1896 with Hugh C. Robertson as Superin- tendent, who through the years developed his discoveries into an art. A new trade mark was adapted and from that time the product was known as "Dedham Pottery." The rare blue, green, yellow, and other glazes which Mr. Robertson discovered or in- herited from his father and grandfather, who, like himself, were creative potters in Scotland and England, are now preserved in the Dedham ware.
The gray Crackle ware, with blue decoration, with which we are most familiar-one of the most beautiful productions-is a porcelain body of the hardest and finest quality, with a soft gray glaze finely and curiously crackled with a blue-in-glaze decora- tion. Fired at a heat of 2,000 to 2,500 degrees, the result is a softness of line and quality of color that harmonizes beautifully
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with the delicate tracery of the crackle. This ware is entirely dif- ferent from either English Chelsea ware, or from anything ever produced in our own country, suggesting rather the masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese pottery.
SOUTH PARISH .* The development of this Parish probably commenced with the building of Ezra Morse's saw mill in 1678. All the land in the Parish was originally owned by persons living in Dedham Village. The late Fred Holland Day, who made a life study of the South Parish said, "It is comparatively easy to prove that the Morses, Fullers, Deans, Everetts, Guilds, Sumners, Hawes, and others owned land here before 1700, but there are no records which show exactly when they came up from Dedham Village and settled here." It was his belief that Ebenezer Dean's house on the north side of Dean Street hill was one of the earliest built in the Parish. It now stands as Norwood's oldest house, having been raised, it is believed, about 1700. The house of Ezra Morse, built in connection with his saw mill, stood on the crest of the hill, approximately where the house of the late George Morse now stands.
The tanning and manufacture of raw hides into leather was an early industry in the parish. The business commenced with Abner Guild and continued in the Guild family for more than fifty years. In 1826 George Winslow, who had learned the tan- ner and currier's trade with Sam. Guild of Roxbury, came to South Dedham and continued a business which has developed with increasing capacity through the years. In 1831 his brother- in-law, Lyman Smith, was admitted as a partner and continued in the business until 1853 when the firm was dissolved. Each partner then established a business of his own. George Winslow, with his sons continued on the old stand while Lyman Smith, with his sons, (John and Charles), started a new plant on Rail- road Avenue, after the Winslow business was dissolved in 1853. LYMAN SMITH & SONS first engaged in the simple tanning of skins which were sold in the rough. The capacity of the estab- lishment was 30,000 skins a year. The business, however, soon developed into the manufacture of leather out of all kinds of sheep and calf skins used in roller skins, the binding of law, blank, and
* No attempt is here made to give any industries organized after 1872.
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other books, and glove leather of all descriptions. In 1855 the firm had but one building and employed only four hands. Thirty years later the business covered more than an acre of land with a capacity to turn out more than 1,000,000 skins a year. In 1860 George Winslow retired from the firm of George Winslow & Sons and the firm name became Winslow Brothers. The business has continued on the old stand and engaged in general tanning, including linings for boots and shoes and a variety of sheep leath- ers of different finish and color, adapted to an almost endless di- versity of uses.
GEORGE H. MORRILL COMPANY. This company was founded by Samuel Morrill for the purpose of manufac- turing printers' ink. Having been both a printer and pub- lisher, first in Worcester and later in Andover, Massachusetts, Mr. Morrill early saw an opening for this kind of business and removed to South Dedham about 1854. His original plant was very small having only one kettle and a small wooden building for the making of lamp black. When he established himself in South Dedham he took his two sons, (George H. and Samuel S.), into the business which was located in the former cabinet shop of Dea. Willard Everett. The industry grew until in 1884 there were fourteen buildings, some of considerable size, used in the business.
AN IRON FOUNDRY was established in 1854 under the firm name of Fuller & Colburn (Spencer Fuller, Jr., and Isaac Col- burn). This firm was succeeded by E. D. Draper & Son who em- ployed thirty-five hands and turned out 700,000 pounds of fine casting a year.
LEWIS SMITH, JR., had a brass factory on Railroad Avenue where he did an increasing business in brass, copper and compo- site work until bought out by George B. Talbot who put the busi- ness in charge of Mr. Sanborn, his son-in-law.
CARPET WORKS for printing floor and carriage art-cloth was established about 1854 by E. Fisher Talbot. His product had a ready sale in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. The work covered a space of two or more acres and consisted of ten or twelve low buildings. He was succeeded by E. E. Pratt & Son who employed twenty men and produced 180,000 yards of oil
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carpeting a year. In 1832 a factory for the manufacture of wrap- ping paper was set up under the firm name of Ellis, Day & Com- pany (Isaac Ellis and Joseph Day). In a few years the business passed into the hands of Paul Ellis who continued the manufac- ture of paper and trunk board. In 1864 the mill was burned. It was rebuilt by Mr. Ellis's sons, Charles, John, and Isaac, who continued under the firm name of Ellis' Brothers. In 1878 the mill was again burned and the business was purchased by Isaac Ellis who erected substantial buildings where he employed fif- teen hands and annually sent to market 180 tons of paper. This mill was burned about 1886 and was never rebuilt.
ELLIS D. DRAPER, who apprenticed himself, when sixteen years of age, to Abijah Colburn of West Dedham to learn the cab- inet maker's trade, entered into partnership with Curtis G. Morse in 1847. They engaged in the manufacture of furniture in South Dedham where the business was conducted until 1861. Later Mr. Morse continued to make furniture in a small way in the old stone house on Washington Street.
WILLARD EVERETT & COMPANY manufactured the best and finest furniture in the county and were not surpassed by any furniture makers in the state. Their furniture found a ready sale in the South, West, and in Cuba. In good times, two hundred and eighty cabinet makers were employed in the work. On May 26, 1865, the buildings of the firm were burned. After carrying on the business on Railroad Avenue for a time (in the Haley, Morse & Boyden Shop), the company decided to move to Boston and the enormous business of Willard Everett & Company was lost to the Parish and was discontinued in 1868. In the absence of railroad facilities and the necessity of crating, the furniture business required large wagons, and a corresponding number of horses to transport the product to Boston. Several times a week, bulky loads of furniture, drawn by four or six horses, were seen passing over the road from South Dedham to Boston.
HALEY, MORSE AND BOYDEN (Dennis Haley, Curtis G. Morse, and Addison Boyden), engaged extensively in the manu- facture of modern furniture. They specialized in the use of ex- pensive woods, mahogany, rosewood, black walnut, and the best of native woods. To save expenses in conducting their business
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they finally moved to Boston where they designed and manufac- tured some of the best furniture in this county.
MRS. A. E. CLAPP conducted, at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Center Street, a large dressmaking and millinery establishment.
"THE SOUTH DEDHAM CARRIAGE MANUFACTORY" of Charles E. Morse, Washington Street, seventy-five years ago had an extensive plant on the main street, (corner of the present Washington Street and Douglas Avenue), and did a flourishing business. The lower part of the building was devoted to wood work and the blacksmith's department. On the second floor, the painting, trimming, and leather work of the factory was done.
WILLIAM GAY & SONS manufactured all kinds of glue in general use in their factory on Fulton Street. The business was organized in 1867 by Gay & Morse. Mr. Morse retired in 1869 and Mr. Gay succeeded to the business. The plant consisted of a factory, dry house, and store house.
ISAAC ELLIS & COMPANY carried on a business, (lo- cated at the Walpole line), which consisted principally of binders' board, the stock from which book covers are made. The business was established in 1832.
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